Kitten scratched me

[Amo]

So a kitten lives around my house which is about 6-7 months old. It’s unvaccinated but it appears healthy to me. Its spends most of the time with us and we sometimes feed it. It scratched me playfully and blood came for 1-3 minutes. Its a very small wound. But i am scared by ready all the articles in the internet.
I cleaned with soap and water immediately and cleaned with dettol. Should i get shots?

 

[Cat McCannon]

Too late! Expect to turn into a wercat at the next full moon!

Keep it clean and you'll be fine.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Bites are far, far more concerning that scratches, in general. Keep an eye on it, but I think it will be fine. I've been scratched by so many of "my" ferals now that I'm a bit shocked I've not had any issues! Been bitten a couple of times, but thankfully no infections!

 

[vince]

Bleeding sometimes is a good thing. It flushes germs out of the wound. Between that and your cleaning, you've done about all that a doctor would.

 

[Norachan]

It looks fine. Keep an eye on it, of course, but you've already done a good job of preventing the scratch getting any worse.

If this kitten spends most of it's time with you and gets fed with you it would be a good idea to get him/her spayed or neutered really soon. Cats can start producing kittens at 6 months of age and if you don't get the kitten fixed you will soon have a whole colony of cats living in your back yard.

(Ask me how I know this. )

Here are a couple of articles to look at.

Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Everything You Need To Know About Tnr (trap-neuter-release) – TheCatSite Articles

Make sure you get the kitten vaccinated at the same time, so there is less risk of either of you getting sick.

 

[di and bob]

You'll be fine.....I have been scratched bit so many times I can't count them all. The only shot you might check into is your tetanus shot which lasts ten years. It is for ALL injuries, any cuts to the skin, etc. It is given in emergency rooms for any kind of breach to the skin, cuts, burns, etc. Just watch it for infection, I would keep it uncovered so it dries out. Since the kitten is around just make sure that it does so for two weeks to take any worry out of the situation, but it si almost always BITES, deep into the muscle you have to worry about. bless you, for taking care of that kitten, they have such a hard life outdoors through no fault of their own.....

 

[Willowy]

If you live in a place where rabies is a problem in cats, if you're scratched by a strange cat that you never see again, yes, go get rabies shots. Scratches are lower-risk than bites but it's still protocol to vaccinate for them. But if it's a cat you see every day and you can keep an eye on her, then you don't have to . Just keep an eye on her for the next 10-14 days, and if she's fine, so are you.

And if you haven't had a tetanus booster in the last 10 years, that one might be a good idea to get.

 

[misty8723]

I volunteer at a resuce and between my own cats and some of them in the rescue I've been scratched a bunch. I just clean it and watch it. I've also been bit and nothing bad ever happened from that either.

 

[Meowmee]

Trap her and quarantine for 14 days in a cage. Get her tnr or s/n and tame her if possible. You can get rabies from a scratch so ask a doctor. If you get the shots asap you are protected. But the cat will need to be quarantined and it will be reported. In order for her to transmit rabies to you she needs to be within about 3 to 6 days of becoming very ill so if she becomes very ill and dies during the quarantine you know she has rabies. Or some thing else terrible but the signs of rabies are pretty obvious in most cases. There are different types of rabies though. Paralytic does not have the typical symptoms.

There was one case in California where a girl who was scratched by a feral cat outside her school was infected with rabies and progressed to the neuro symptoms. She did not get the shots I suppose because no one suspected the cat had rabies. She survived but it’s very rare to survive rabies. The incubation period can be variable in both people and furry creatures.

In terms of bacterial infection, yes you could still get an infection but I think most likely you would be OK -wash the wound with water for 20 minutes immediately for all concerns including rabies. Apply antibiotic ointment, if you show any signs of infection go to the doctor and get antibiotics. Wounds to the hand are worse because they can travel to other areas of the body more easily. You need a tetanus booster if you haven’t had a recent one.